Kuro-chan
by dead or alive0013
Summary: high school AU. Lavi was a curious transfer student who just moved in and was exploring the otaku culture. He discovered a very talented and good looking cosplayer, Kuro-chan and made it a goal to meet (stalk?) her. Might be, he need not look far... might be, Kuro-chan was just inside the classroom, but she is not everything he thought she would be. LavixKanda. Rating might go up.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man. I do not make money from writing this. Please don't sue. I'm quite broke.

Warning: Unbeta'ed. Possibly some OOCness. Clumsy POV shifts. Also, it is my dream to go to Japan but that remains to be just a dream for the time being. The things I wrote here are based purely on anime and manga, and is not very accurate, I assume.

* * *

**Kuro-chan Chapter 1(?): Happy Train Ride**

_Japan is weird._

It was the thought that kept running in Lavi's head since two weeks ago. It wasn't a result of some hasty generalization, he assured himself as he inwardly grinned when he passed by a news stand which he learned did not only sell newspapers, but more importantly the colourful and rather sensual-looking (from time to time) mangas. He was afterall, a well-travelled, well-educated, and well-open minded young man.

That being said, he had studied the history and culture of this rich Asian country. He knew the language, read about the form of government, and immersed in dozens of articles published globally about Japan. When he was back in Europe, he had already heard and read a lot of things about it and was very excited when his guardian said he will be spending his high school years in the land of the rising sun. Oh the sushi. Oh the kimonos. Oh the chopsticks. Oh the temples. Oh the small, chinky-eyed people who are very hard working and reserved but used to commit _seppuku_ when shamed. And the cherry blossoms!

Again, Lavi was not a racist or any variation of it. He enjoyed studying people and having learned about different kinds of them, plus having a weird sense of humor, he could not help but develop a caricature view of things. It was one of his good points, though the old panda may not agree as he tended to think his ward was too happy for his own good. Lavi liked to call it being naturally gifted with optimism, something that was hard to come by these trying times.

Little did he know that optimism and natural curiosity was not enough to wholly understand and be in harmony with the world. Amidst the history, philosophy, sciences, mathematics, and language lessons he had been having, Lavi failed to lend an ear to the fast-growing but equally just as important world of pop culture. Specifically, the otaku culture whose center was at the country he might be spending at least three years of his life.

Now, Lavi was not completely clueless. He enjoyed watching Dragon Ball Z, played Final Fantasy, and streamed Bleach from time to time. He even read Takeshi Ohbata's Deathnote Manga way before it got big with the anime and live action movies. But just like any culture, he found out that otaku culture had juicy nooks and crannies that were waiting to be explored. Exploring he did. What he discovered turned out to be very interesting.

Lavi sighed loudly, pausing his train of thought and feet. He was almost at the train station and his watch said that he had quite a few minutes to spare. With a small smile playing on his lips he turned to a familiar alley. It was a narrow path, not big enough for a vehicle but perfectly passable by bikes. Lavi walked the few meters before reaching the small shop he had been frequenting lately.

"Irrashaimasen," the old lady automatically greeted when he came in after the bells rang. He bowed his head politely and made his way to the cramped shelves of mangas and anime goods.

Like most (or all, really) of the things he did, he had a goal to accomplish in coming here. He had planned it well last night and made sure he got up early this morning so there would be less people, all for discovering new things. A few steps and a quick glance and Lavi immediately located what he was looking for. He grabbed the book-like volume, paid for it in the counter, and then he was walking out with a BL manga in the deepest pit of his bag.

When he got on the train, his smile got wider at the almost empty compartment save for a few Japanese businessmen and a very _kawaii_ one-chan wearing a cute maid outfit and long purple hair, no doubt on her way to a maid cafe. Lavi flashed her a sparkly smile before taking a seat at the far end, mentally noting to plan a visit to such an establishment soon. He ripped the brown bag and plastic cover of his new purchase and started reading. After a few pages, he sighed but kept going.

"Japan sure is weird," he mumbled in english.

* * *

The lace of the new dress was terribly itchy and the length was very much reduced that he could feel the breeze right up his thighs and in his tight boxers. He pulled at the hems of the accursed skirt again, hoping to add a little more length to it and pulled down the newsboy cap he had been wearing over the long, light purple wig on his head.

One of the filthy bastards in suits was shooting him looks since they boarded the train and it made him feel a lot more uneasy and exposed than the stupid dress ought to when he had the cart all to himself. He moved closer to the door, not missing the craning fat neck that followed him that he suddenly wanted to break.

How could he forget that today was the first fucking day of school? He swore, it was that stupid Chinese man's fault. Him and that spoiled brat princess sister of his who thought it was a good idea to degrade a man like this. Actually, he took it back, she wasn't all that bad. He had been broke since forever and he needed the money badly. The only thing he could blame for all this was her idiot brother and his own damn fate for being fucked up and utterly retarded.

As the train slowed as it approached the next station, he prayed that the bastard would get off or that nobody he knew or might recognize him would get on. No such luck. Not only did the perverted old man stayed put and was now winking at him, but a guy with red hair wearing the uniform of his school boarded happily. He tried to make himself look as insignificant as possible, or as insignificant as a man wearing a wig and a dress could be, but that also failed. The guy smiled toothily at him before taking a seat at the far end.

"Tch," he muttered out loud, feeling pissed and stupid.

He wanted to get as much distance as possible between him and the geezer but that would mean he'd risk exposing himself to his schoolmate. Dignity and pride, he told himself but he quickly made his way to the opposite seat of the redhead when the old man made to move closer to him. Clutching the hem of his skirt and the tip of his hat down like his life depended on it, he sat dirctly in front of the boy who was now reading manga.

He wiped his sweat, careful not smudge any of the makeup and saw that the geezer had now taken his former seat. _Try again and I will end you, low life._

"Japan sure is weird."

He looked up to find the other boy concentrating on his manga like a kid watching cartoons. He was going to dismiss him but his eye couldn't help but catch the front cover of the reading material the other had chosen.

"Fuck," he muttered lowly. His luck was extremely bad.

* * *

Lavi's eyes were wide. He could not believe the turn of events that had unfolded in this cute uke's life. How... _Interesting_.

Just like the otaku culture, he was not completely clueless about the things that might happen between two men in a romantic relationship. He knew what went where, basically, but he had no idea other things could happen too. Like what he was reading now.

He shook his head. The androgyny clearly helped the act, he thought. Had the private areas been covered, anyone would think that this was just ordinary sex. He found himself nodding at his analysis of the BL manga that he was slightly taken aback when he turned the page and found he had finished the first chapter already. _That was an experience_.

He closed the volume and flipped it over to see the back cover. He scanned through the back pages one by one and saw other manga promotion ads, subscription sheets, and some advertisements for sweets and cosmetics. He was about to close the volume when he saw a full-page picture of a girl with long and straight jet-black hair in black sleeveless top and long black shorts, with a red ribbon tied on her arm and wearing short black gloves.

"She's real!" he couldn't help but say out loud.

He could hear choking sounds from someone seated in front of him but he was too engrossed by the image of Tifa Lockhart in the flesh, posing for some magazine. His Kanji reading was still slow but he quickly decoded the characters. It was an ad for an upcoming gaming convention. The date indicated that it was still a few weeks away and that some famous cosplayers will be there. There was also going to be a tournament of sorts.

Lavi continued scanning the page and found the photo credits at the bottom:

_Model: Kuro-chan_

_Photography: Dark Boots Studio blah, blah, blah..._

"Kuro-chan," he muttered, still staring at the cosplaying girl.

* * *

"Kuro-chan"

He lowered his head even more as the boy, whom he found he disliked more and more with every passing second, mumble the familiar name. He checked his watch and glanced at the window. Just two more stations. _Please don't look at me, don't look at me, fucking don't look at me..._

"Hi there, cute miss"

_Fuck_

It was the geezer. How he managed to drag his fat ass all the way to where he sat now, he could only guess, but how he missed the sneaky bastard was undoubtedly due to his excessive stressing over the possibility of being recognized. _Damn redhead_. But now he had a bigger problem that would surely cost him either his pride or his job.

"Where do you work?" the geezer asked, smiling an ugly smile and putting a slimy hand on his shoulder. "I would love to get some tea after work, you know?"

A vein popped on his temple. "Get your fucking hand off me or I will break your face."

"Ohohoho! What a dirty mouth you have!" the pervert and apparently dumb old man said.

His hands clenched into a fist, rage filling him. He grabbed the hand on his shoulder but before he could reach it, the man was howling in pain with both hands clutching his bloody nose.

"Ooops," the redhead muttered. He was still sitting across the train car but his manga was gone. It was now lying on the floor near the geezer's feet, opened at a particularly sketchy part of the story, dotted by red. "Sorry."

"Why you little—pun," the man managed to say under his nosebleed but he was interrupted by the announcement of their arrival at the next station.

"I am not from here," the redhead announced happily in fluent Japanese, "but I'm quite sure that sign reads police station, does it not good sir?" He was pointing at the big police station sign on the platform.

"You little punk!" the geezer retaliated but did not do anything more. He grudgingly retrieved his briefcase and stepped out of the sliding doors. He gave the foreign kid with red hair one last glare before the doors closed.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Lavi asked, walking towards the cute maid. He ended up standing in front of her as more passengers boarded the train. He held on to the pole standing right beside where the girl sat, waiting for a reply.

She just nodded without looking up at him, keeping her head down and lowering her newsboy cap.

"That's great," he said cheerily. "It's true though, I really am not from here and OH!" The girl seemed a bit startled at that. He stooped down to retrieve his bloody BL manga and brushed of the dirt. "Aw, It's ruined!"

Foot marks were all over the open page and the volume as a whole looked odd as it was bent and squeezed in different angles. Lavi sighed and turned to the page of Tifa again. It was miraculously unharmed. He sighed in relief as he placed the manga back in his bag, deciding to re-flatten it with his study table later after school.

"You're outfit looks great by the way. You look really cute," he told the girl who stiffened but remained quiet.

_What a nervous maid... Well, she just had been hit on by that old man._

"Not that I'm hitting on you or anything," he quickly added with a laugh. "Just trying to make friends around here. I'm new, as I've told you, so..."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence which disappointed him a little. He would have loved to talk to the girl and ask about the establishment she worked for but that would make him very much like the guy he had flung his BL manga at. So Lavi waited, watching the buildings, people, trees, cars, and streets wheeze outside the train in a blur.

* * *

The cool, calm voice of a woman announced that the train had reached his station.

"This is my stop," the redhead told him.

_Did this idiot think he cared to know that? _Instead of voicing his sentiment, he settled for a slight nod of acknowledgement which apparently was good enough for the other boy. A beeping sound was heard and then the doors were swinging open.

"See you, one-chan! I really hope I run into you again!" the boy told him happily before stepping out onto the platform.

He waited until he could no longer see the red hair before quickly following suit. He bumped a few people on his way out but made it just in time before the doors were swinging close again.

"You look really good."

He turned to see a girl wearing his school's uniform, smiling widely at him. "Tch, watch it, Lenalee. I had one hell of a trip here because of your brother's mistake."

Lenalee just smiled and flicked the purple locks. "He mistook your uniform as the one he needed to bring to the lost and found. I did not check the bag before leaving so... An honest mistake," she told him and started dragging him by the hand to the station's rest rooms. "I have it in my bag so let's go get you changed."

"How the fuck can someone make such a stupid mistake? Why would a lost uniform be in your studio? I can't believe he's really a doctor," he ranted on.

The station was starting to thicken with people so he hurried to the men's room and quickly took a cubicle after she handed him his uniform. The restroom was thankfully empty when he got in. In under two minutes, he had ripped off the wig and hairnet, changed into his uniform, and put on his sneakers. He stuffed the maid costume and wig in Lenalee's bag and fished out a white towel. He started vigorously wiping his makeup off and unlatched the lock of his cubicle.

He was still alone when he turned a faucet on and started washing his face. This was the part he hated the most. The makeup was a pain to put on and it was a bigger pain to get off. A few other commuters had gone in when he was finally walking out of the restroom. He found Lenalee waiting for him just outside and she grabbed her bag.

"Welcome back, Kanda-kun!" she greeted and proceeded to checking her bag. "Oniisan said your photoshoot this morning went really well and he will bring some sample prints when he get to school later," she said while she rummaged through the contents with a frown. She glared at him and gave him a good hit on the head.

"Ow!" Kanda muttered. "The hell?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to take it easy with the wigs?!" she said sternly. "This one in particular is very long and hard to comb and not to mention very expensive!"

"Sorry, I was in a hurry," he said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes while she was still looking.

"Whatever, Kuro-chan," she said and ran ahead of him.

* * *

Author's note:

Another random AU. Insomnia's next chapter is still being written so please don't hate me for starting another one. I'm just putting this out here to see if you guys would be interested.

This story was inspired by 'Nonomy.' If you don't know what that means, I suggest you type 'nonomy' on google images and be prepared to be blown away. And keep in mind that he is a 'he.' You're welcome. :)

Anyway, TBC? Please review! Onegaishimasu!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man. I do not make money from writing this. Please don't sue. I'm quite broke.

Warning: Unbeta'ed. Possibly some OOCness. Clumsy POV shifts. This is an imagined version of Japanese high school influenced by the things I've seen from anime and manga, and input from YuKanda. I don't think it should affect the so called 'plot' but I should try to make it as realistic as possible.

* * *

**Kuro-chan Chapter 2: Cliché School Life**

Lavi stood at the gates of his new school with gleaming eyes. He was a bit early but there were already a few others walking inside to his surprise. He marched forward, bag in hand and grin in place. As he walked and took in the clean surroundings, his mind went back to the eventful train ride he had earlier.

His grin grew wider at the recollection of the bloody face. Frankly, he felt awesome when he made the clean flick of his manga straight to the target's nose not only because he deserved it, but because he was so sure that he'd get some retaliation of some form. And he almost did and he loved deflecting that too, by playing the cocky, not so innocent foreigner. Plus one-chan was a really cute damsel in distress.

"Excuse me, are you Lavi Bookman?"

Lavi turned to find a student with shocking white hair. Obviously a foreigner too, he was a bit shorter than Lavi, and his face looked kind with the smile he was wearing. "Yes, I am. And you would be..."

"Allen Walker. I am from your class. I've been assigned to show you around and help you find our classroom," Allen said.

"Walker-san then," he said and shook his classmate's hand. "How convenient."

"Just Allen. I'm British and that's what everyone calls me anyway," Allen replied.

"How did you know it was me?"

"You are kind of hard to miss," Allen replied gesturing to him.

"Alrighty then," he replied though he wasn't sure what the other meant.

They started walking and Allen showed him to the shoe lockers. They changed into their indoor shoes before Allen showed him around the school's most important places. It was quite a big school, privately owned and associated with one of Japan's most prestigious university. He had no problem passing the qualification exam but he knew the kids here were some of the elite high schoolers in the country. Well, at least that was what Bookman told him, the old man wanted to keep him on his toes as much as possible afterall.

Allen led him to the library, laboratories, classrooms, and corridors while talking about the numerous rules and schedules he needed to follow but with his kind of memory, Lavi mapped and remembered everything in his mind without a problem.

"So are there many people like us in this school?" Lavi asked as they walked to their own classroom. It was on the second floor and was overlooking the front grounds and gates. More students were coming in now.

Allen grinned. "Quite a few. There's you and me obviously, and we have a Chinese girl… and a black upperclassman, and some from the west to name a few. We have some teachers too," he explained as he placed his bag on a table near the door.

Only a few other tables were occupied when they came in. Allen pointed to one near the window at the back to indicate that it was free. Lavi deposited his bag there and the other sat on the one in front of him to keep him company.

"I see," Lavi said nodding. "I just came here a couple of weeks ago so I am not sure what to expect."

"Where are you from?" Allen asked.

"India, lately," he said happily. "I travel a lot."

The other nodded politely. "How do you find Japan so far?"

"Very interesting!" he answered immediately and a bit too enthusiastically that a few of the students shot him startled looks. Lavi smiled at them apologetically and noticed some of his girl classmates were whispering to each other while glancing in his direction.

"Don't mind them," Allen said. "They're nice once you get to know them but since you're new…"

"I understand," Lavi waved him off. "Do students here really come this early? I thought I would be with only three other people at most this morning but there was already a small crowd when I came in."

"Club activities are quite demanding especially at the start of the year," Allen answered. "Those in charge come in early most of the time, especially since today is the first day and they will need to get ready to find new recruits."

Lavi was aware of this and found it interesting. "Sounds like a lot of work. I got a list of clubs in my orientation packet that they gave me after I was admitted to the school. I thought they were joking about the variety they have."

Allen chuckled lightly. "Yeah, there's quite a lot. That's why you need to find a club that you are really interested in. Have you given it any thought?"

He had. A lot. "Nah… I'll check them out first," he said with a care-free tone.

The rest of the time was spent in cheerful conversation about the school and Lavi's travels. A person would occasionally come in and ask the class rep who the new boy was and Allen introduced him. Still, Lavi got numerous curious looks from other students who saw him but chose not to approach him. It was the hair, he knew. Red was eye-catching because of its long wavelength, just like the traffic light captures everyone's attention, and him talking to a person with a shock of white hair might have made it worse. Allen was a nice person though, and he noticed a lot of the other students were friendly with him. He was used to the curious looks he had been receiving too, having been put in the position of being the new guy quite a lot of times already.

Nothing was new, quite frankly. The rules, the faces, the social customs, the language, and the sights were all new, yes, but the change and the adjustment was normal for him. Lavi was quick to adapt to his environment, he had learned, and he was confident that he'd blend in quite well in no time.

And soon enough, he was sharing stories with a couple more of his classmates, laughing and chatting with them until he was surrounded by a small group. They were amazed by how fluent he was in Japanese. They thought he didn't know the language well enough so not many approached him at first but that changed quickly. Even sooner, he was everyone's nice guy buddy even before the bell rang.

It was almost too easy, he wished he wouldn't get bored.

Five minutes before the start of class, Allen peered at the window with a worried look. Some students were still walking through the gates and he seemed like he was looking for someone.

"What's the matter?" Lavi asked.

The other shook his head. "Nothing. My friend is just a bit late."

Lavi frowned slightly. "There's still time."

"She has never come in less than fifteen minutes before the time because she's the girl class rep," Allen said. "But yeah, she might just be a little late."

The British kid looked pitiful that Lavi felt obliged to comfort him. He engaged him with more questions, this time about cosplay and anime which the other knew quite a lot. His face brightened considerably until Lavi asked the question about Kuro-chan.

"Oh, you know about her?" Allen asked with a slight smile.

He nodded with a smirk. "I found one of her photos on a manga and I just have to see her. In the flesh."

At that moment, the door slid open and a girl with long hair in pigtails walked in. Lavi instantly perked up at the sight of the beautiful face, long legs, and black hair. His mind was threatening to erupt 'strike!' when she stepped aside to make way for another person and his rabid mind went blank.

_Fuck_

He was a boy (or was it girl?) with black hair longer than the girl's, tied up in a high ponytail. His features said he was Asian and his uniform said he was a boy, unless cross-dressing was somehow allowed in this school. He had an irritated, bored look on his face that made him seem royally and elegantly pissed at something as he ignored whatever it was the girl was saying. The boy rolled his eyes once he had his back on her and made his way towards Lavi which made him suddenly anxious. The boy froze when he spotted Lavi there, something like surprise gracing the his face. They locked eyes for a few moments before the new comer forced his gaze away to glare at Allen sitting on his chair.

"Get lost, Moyashi," he said stiffly.

Allen gave him a pained smile but quickly moved to let him take the chair. "It's Allen. I thought after a year you would have already known."

"Tch" was the only reply he got. Allen rolled his eyes and turned back to Lavi who was still stunned that he didn't even notice the pretty girl walking to Allen's side.

"This is my friend and this class' other representative, Lenalee Lee," he said and the girl smiled at him, saying 'how do you do.'

"Fine," Lavi said finally regaining his composure. He smiled brightly back and bowed gracefully like a proper gentleman. She giggled.

"This is Kanda Yu. He eats people," Allen added hastily, gesturing to the grumpy boy.

Lavi watched the back of Kanda's head as he shook it, almost seeing the eye-roll he was definitely doing. He grinned widely and leaned in front of his table. "Nice to meet you, Yu-kun,' he said happily while giving the Japanese boy's shoulder a pat.

Kanda stiffened and his eyes were cold as ice as he turned back to Lavi with a menacing glare. "Do not touch me again."

"Whoa," Lavi muttered as he raised his hands in surrender. "O-kay. No need to get pissy. Sheesh!"

"And it's Kanda," the other barked before turning back to the black board and ending their conversation.

Allen was chuckling lightly before he leaned a bit closer to Lavi and said, "Don't mind him. Has a stick up his ass since forever."

He nodded with smile and the bell rang. The class settled down as the teacher, a jumpy woman with large eye bags stepped in front of the class. Lenalee told everyone to stand and they did, followed by a synchronised bow that Lavi jerkily followed.

As the class went, Lavi tried to pay attention to the teacher, Ms. Lotto, drone about geometric theorems. He was of course familiar with the subject, having taken it a few years prior this moment. He found himself watching the rest of the class. Most were diligently listening and scribbling with heads down. Allen and Lenalee were taking down notes like the rest of the class. His gaze wandered to the person sitting in front of him and he was mildly surprised. Kanda had his chin propped against his palm as he watched the window to his left with a pensive look. He stayed like that for several minutes until Lavi's gaze seemed to have finally gotten his attention. He shot him another glare before fishing a pen and scribbling away with the rest of the class. Lavi smirked.

* * *

The school bell rang to signal lunch break and soon the teacher was stepping out while the students broke into small groups. Lavi was unsure of what to do so he stayed in his seat, pretty much how he had been since morning with his notebook open and with barely any notes. He watched quietly as Kanda got up from his seat and packed his things into his bag before fishing out a small plastic pack that seemed to contain bread. He glared at Lavi before inquiring, "The fuck is your problem?"

He straightened in his chair. "Nothing. Sorry, I didn't realize I was staring."

"Tch," Kanda said and got up. "Staring is rude, especially in this country. Stop it or it will earn you a beating."

Lavi watched the other walk away without another word, neatly dodging a few people before slipping out of the door. Staring was rude but it wasn't always an easy thing to avoid, especially since he's in Lavi's line of sight. Not to mention he had gotten a lot of rude stares himself…

"I'm sorry, Lavi," Allen called, snapping him out of his daze. He was walking to him in a rush with his packed lunch. "I had to help sensei with his things but I came back as soon as I was done."

"It's fine," Lavi said with a smile. He didn't even realize Allen was gone. "We have lunch in the classroom, right?"

He nodded. "But we can also eat outside if you want. I'll introduce you to some more people."

A few of the girls from class approached them before they can make it to the door. Lavi entertained them readily while Allen introduced each. They made their way outside and onto the rooftop with the girls trailing behind. As they walked, Lavi calculated the chances of seeing the antisocial long-hair again. It seemed as if everyone plus a few new faces that he could only guess were from the other classes was here to eat in their own respective circles. Allen was friends with Lenalee. Lenalee came in with Kanda so they must be friends too. Did friendship have transitivity?

Lenalee was sitting there with two other people he hadn't talked to yet. She introduced him to both. Allen and Lenalee opened their lunches and offered them to him. He happily accepted and offered the contents of his lunch box in turn. Kanda was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Kanda?" he blurted out.

"Probably sulking in a corner, as usual," Allen said and Lenalee hit his head with the lid of her lunchbox.

"He doesn't like people much," she explained, ignoring Allen's glare.

"So he doesn't eat?" Lavi fished.

"Of course he eats," she said. "Probably in the kendo club. He's a member so," she trailed off.

_Ahh… Kendo huh?_

"He does seem the kind that would want to keep to himself," he commented.

Lenalee laughed lightly. "Did he scare you, Lavi?"

"Apart from looking like he was about ready to rip my head off, he seemed quite normal actually."

Both she and Allen laughed.

"Don't worry. Kanda hates everybody. It's nothing personal," she told him with a wink.

Allen scoffed. "Yeah, everyone except you," he told her.

Lavi raised an eyebrow. "Really? You two are…?"

"What? No!" she said quickly, shaking her head and blushing slightly. "We're just good friends."

"Hmnnn…" he murmured glancing up the sky. He could tell they were at least friends, Allen too. The two were the only ones Kanda interacted with in the classroom though he seemed a bit hostile towards Allen. But hey, they seemed like they were both having small arguments with him and they got off without the murderous glare. That must mean friendship? "What's moyashi?"

Lenalee laughed and Allen's eye twitched. "It means beansprout," he answered nonetheless.

"Kanda likes to make fun of his height," she said.

"How nice. You are a friend of Kanda's too," Lavi told Allen.

"Nope, not really. That guy never did anything other than diss me about my height just because he has what? A few centimeters taller? Just he wait till I get my growth spurt," Allen ranted.

"Allen skipped a level so he's a year younger than everyone," she explained.

"Ah," Lavi acknowledged though his thoughts were still on Kanda.

It didn't make sense to him that a person would hate being around other people so much that he would stalk off and have lunch alone in some club room. Was he trying to act cool? He looked the part… He thought back to the BL manga he had read and decided that Kanda would make a very good _uke_. With the way he looked of course.

"Something wrong?" Allen asked after a while.

He did not notice that he was staring off. "Nah, just wondering," he said and turned to Lenalee, "do you read BL manga?"

She blushed and glanced at the other people around them who weren't paying attention before nodding with a smile. "Why do you ask?"

Lavi sighed. "Nothing. Just… wondering."

They exchanged looks before Lenalee dragged him away from the rest of the students. They found a relatively clear area and she went in. "You have a crush on Kanda?"

Lavi's eyes widened before grinning. "You would love that, wouldn't you?"

"Oh she will," Allen droned as if speaking from experience.

"Oh shut up, Walker," she muttered and turned to Lavi again, "all this questions about him and then suddenly thinking of BL, you like him?"

_Who knows?_

"Just interested, ma'am," he told her confidently. "I've never met anyone as grumpy as him nor who has hair as long as his. He's quite intriguing especially to a new guy, you have to agree."

"He is a mystery, I guess," she relented. She looked like he was going to say more before deciding against it.

He sighed. "Sorry to break your _fujoshi_ heart but, no. I'm as straight as a pole. In fact, I just found a cute and pretty model from an ad this morning that I think I would be stalking on the internet tonight."

"Not to mention Kanda would probably punch out his lights if he ever tried coming on to him," Allen said and he totally agreed.

"You're no fun," she said.

Lunch ended and Lavi didn't see Kanda at all. When they walked into the classroom, he was sitting right there on his chair, head resting on his palm while watching the window. Lavi said 'hey' as he walked by him but he was ignored.

* * *

The trip back home was less eventful than what he had that morning to school. Lavi got his first taste of Tokyo rush hour home but he didn't think it was too bad. If one would keep out of the way and occupy their minds with something else, the trip was much more bearable. And Lavi had a lot to think about.

It wasn't that he was attracted to Kanda though he had to admit that the boy was pretty and Lavi was a man of unique taste but he had never considered himself being attracted to a person of the same sex. So no, it wasn't that. Something about him was drawing Lavi, like a faint sense of familiarity in a déjà vu sort of way.

He had some homework to do at home but that wouldn't take much of his time so he looked forward to an evening of relaxing unless Bookman gave him something else to work with.

He arrived at the small apartment unit that he and his guardian had been living in and was surprised to find it empty. It was a basic living space with a small kitchen merged with dining area, a small space for a living room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. He removed his shoes by the door and walked into the small dining area. He saw a note on the table saying there was food he could heat in the fridge and that the old man had urgent business he had to attend to that might keep him till late morning tomorrow. Lavi shrugged, used to this already and made his way to his room.

This room was small, just enough to fit a single bed against the wall, a small study table where his laptop had been currently residing, a tiny closet, and a bedside table. All his things were already unpacked and neatly stored in the closet and drawers weeks ago though the room remained hugely impersonal. The walls were bare, no pictures on the tables, no posters or anything. He had learned not to get too comfy in all the places he had visited knowing that he'll leave later on, so he avoided putting anything that would make the space his. It was easier to leave like that.

After a quick shower and eating dinner in front of the TV, Lavi decided to get his school work out of the way. He was done in under an hour and he found himself in front of his computer, thinking of what to do.

_Why not?_

He typed in the words 'kuro-chan' and waited. Pictures of a cyborg cat appeared and he sighed with annoyance before adding the word 'cosplay' to his search. That got him smiling.

Kuro-chan had a lot of works. She posed as characters for various anime that he recognized and more that he had no idea about. There were also pictures of her in different maid costumes of different lengths, colors, and designs, in different hairstyles. Lavi saved one picture. And then another. And another. He kept on going until he decided to make a folder dedicated to the cosplayer on his laptop, not willing to make a virtual mess.

After he felt like he had every, or at least most of Kuro-chan's works, he started researching about her. He tried looking for a blog, a profile, an interview, or anything that would give him any information about her but he failed. There was absolutely nothing on internet about her that would reveal anything about the cosplayer except for her face. All her pictures only have the same watermark at the edge, a boot with wings. Some had photo credits similar to the one on his BL manga that said Dark Boots Photography.

Lavi sighed and looked up Dark Boots Photograpy. He found a small site that contained barely anything, just a list of the services offered (pictorials and post processing, mostly), list of past clients with testimonials, and a short portfolio of sample works where one of Kuro-chan's pictures was displayed. The only contact detail was an email address.

He rested the back of his head against his computer chair and slouched, sliding down until his knees hit the edge of his table. Something didn't add up.

* * *

"Just hold it for a little bit more," the girl said and Kanda wanted nothing more than to punch something at the moment. Still he held on for a bit fucking more, not moving as she pressed the last pin in his hair to secure the obnoxious blue green wig. Lenalee adjusted one of the floor-long pigtails slightly with a comb and smiled as she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

He was wearing a white sleeveless school blouse with green necktie, short black school skirt lined with green at the bottom, cut black sleeves that left his shoulders and upper arms bare, and thigh high black stockings and shoes.

Lenalee's smile was disturbing. "Sometimes I think you're too pretty. It's almost scary."

"You're the one to talk," he said as he stood from the make-up chair. "Besides, you put so much crap on my face that I barely recognize myself anymore."

She moved to the shooting area where she had assembled lamps that Kanda hated with passion because it turn any room into an oven, and a tripod earlier and began mounting the camera. "Your face is just so easy to work with, like a doll's."

"Let's just get this over with," he muttered with a 'tch.' She sometimes forgot that Kanda was a man and that being compared to a doll when you were a man was offensive.

"Alright," she said and pointed to the spot where the lamps were directed, "stand there and do a cute pose."

He mechanically did as he was told but interpreted 'cute' as 'pissed' so he ended up slouching and looking more like a thug than Hatsune Miku. She clucked her tongue and sighed.

"Straighten your back. Yes, that's it. Then bend your legs a little on your knees, nope, just a little. There. And point your toes inwards. Great," she muttered as she checked Kanda from her camera. She took a test shot and smiled. "Just cock your head a bit to the side and relax your arms. Perfect!"

A session like this usually took around two to three hours with most of it intended for makeup and putting on the costume. The actual photo shoot took less than half an hour as he did different poses with various props. He used to take much longer but as time went on, he had desensitized himself a bit and learned to just do things to end his misery quicker.

After the last shot with him not so innocently splayed on the floor (oh the things this girl's mind came up with), Lenalee called it a day. She was smiling like a psycho as she checked the raw shots on her laptop, giggling from time to time. He ignored her and made his way to dresser to start tedious process of removing all the gunk on his face.

Komui dropped by to check out their work, though Kanda knew well he was still paranoid that a 'cross-dressing man might suddenly jump his innocent sister.' He brought in drinks and snacks apologizing again for the mistake he did that morning. Kanda 'tch-ed' at him dismissively, noting that the man still had the small bump on his head that had resulted from the vengeance kick he had unleashed earlier at school.

"Everything seems in order in here," Komui announced needlessly and made his merry way out. Lenalee just shrugged.

"You seem more tense lately," she commented as she helped him remove the wig. "Is everything alright?"

Kanda's eye twitched. "Fine."

"How is he?"

His finger froze for a moment before continuing on removing a pin. "Not very good."

She gave him an encouraging smile from the mirror and squeezed his arm lightly. "It will be okay. Brother is helping and I know he'll do everything he can."

"Tch," he muttered under his breath as he removed the last pin holding his hair up in place. It fell like a shower of black rain on his shoulders and he tried to hide his face behind it.

But she saw the slight tremble in his lips and his eyes looking deep within the mirror but not seeing anything. Kanda was not good with expressing his feelings but she had learned to read these small details to know that there was storm within his uncaring façade. She tried to be comforting but not too pushy, a tricky mix at the start as he hated when others took pity on him. He was a strong person to have borne this kind of problem in silence all these time and she admired him for it, but she sometimes wished that her friend would just let go and let out some of those locked up emotions. But Kanda never did.

So Lenalee stepped away and walked to her camera, saying something about changing the lens. Kanda continued with fixing himself up and she didn't say another word.

"I'm going," he announced after he was relatively makeup free and had changed into his own clothes.

She smiled at him with a nod. "Thank for your hard work. The client will like your photos. They look amazing." He nodded back. "I'll transfer your fee to your account before the week ends."

He just nodded again and slipped out of Dark Boots Photography studio.

* * *

Author's notes:

This took so loooong! I'm so sorry for the wait. :( My distraction was the anime Shingeki no Kyojin and the Ereri fandom. I just couldn't take my eyes off it!

So yeah, this is probably littered with inaccuracies, typos and OOCness but I posted this in a hurry. Insomnia's next chapter is already half done so that one might follow soon. Anyway, thanks so much for waiting and hope you enjoyed. :)


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